July.

July! July is always such a busy month, and weekends get booked out before the month even starts. Also there are two work holidays. Woot!

- We did a slow toddler style mosey around Silver Lake and then went to the food trucks. Guys, we love the food trucks. Everything about them makes me so happy.

- We went to Sugarhouse Park on the 4th of July to watch a pet parade. It actually just turned out to be a dog parade, but Norah loved it. Right up until a dog licked her face and she had a meltdown. We basically melted after walking back across the park and had to lay on the floor in our apartment for a while after to recover. We skipped out on fireworks because Norah hates unexpected noises, but we did fully celebrate food wise with Five Guys and Coldstone. Happy America Day!

- Ashley, Jamilyn and I had a full girls night. We got our nails done and had some amazing tapas at Eva. Holy crap. It was all so good. We picked up some brownies from Gourmandise and checked into our high fancy hotel. The next day we had brunch at Finca. So basically we ate a ton of food and everyone enjoyed it.

- We took Norah to Toy's R'Us and she had a heyday looking at everything and playing with the trains. And she wasn't even mad that we only left with a bubble machine.

- We got to meet two new baby girls. Happy families and adorable babies all around!

- We "hiked" the City Creek trail with the Hiltons. I use quotes because with two roaming toddlers a lot less actual hiking happens.

- My cutest husband had a birthday and we celebrated it with an amazing Ashley-made Earl Grey and Lavender cake at Liberty Park with all our friends. 

- On Brian's actual birthday we took a rock climbing class and felt the burn in our forearms for DAYS.

- Norah and I spent a weekend in Malad while our cousins from Texas were visiting. Norah got all the attention and shockingly did not seem to mind. Being the youngest has it's benefits.

- Many moons ago we went camping with our best couple friends. No one had any kids yet (though Jami was quite pregnant) and it was after a full summer of so many fun adventures together. We all carved our initials into a tree near our campsite in the morning before we left. Brian and I (and Norah, of course) moseyed into the campsite (one of us was really nervous about being questioned. It was me. I was the nervous one.) We found the campsite...and the people who were currently packing up to leave it. Awk. We looked all over for the tree and thought that maybe the letters had just been...absorbed by the tree? But then we found it literally two steps away from the site and all the carvings were still pristine. We added a little N for our favorite kid and then casually walked back out.

- Brian and I ventured to Dutch John to stay with Lara and Shane. We got very lost on the way there and had no cell phone service. Which was lovely. But! We arrived and had the best weekend. We got to see part of the gorge at sunset, had long breakfasts with french toast and lots of coffee refills. (There is nothing more relaxing after having children than getting to linger over a meal.) We saw more of the gorgeous scenery, went kayaking in the rain, and played mario kart while not operating at full ability. It was honestly painful to come back to our very populated city. 

Her face in this kills me.

I'm writing this in December (on the ball, clearly), and it's been ages since Norah let me wear her. Sob.

Norah got really into the swings by the end of summer.

After we almost melted into a big puddle on the fourth of July.

If you were wondering if Norah likes having her own ice cream cone, the answer is a resounding yes.

View from our girl's night hotel.

Owning the toy store.

Almost my favorite snapchat of all time.

Handholding toddlers!

C was having a hard day and wanted some space from the group. Norah decided to join her.

Cereal and crossed ankles. Fancy.

So much love for her cousins.

We found our treeeee!

Hey look! We still have cats!

She could not be more Brian and I's child if she tried.

A cool dad.

Things went a little off the rails here.

A double delivery of lactation cookies!

Wallace closely supervising. (or, more likely, waiting to steal all the window clings)

Malad.

Dutch John.

5 hours in to a 3 hour trip.

Brian found out he loves baby cows.

Norah found out she loves sprinklers.